Portable electric light.



0. HUBBRT. PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHT; j APPLIOATBON FILED JULY15,1912

1,047,525- Patented Dec.'17,1912,

" Anon/v51! CONRAD nunnn'r or new roux; N. Y.

PORTABLE ELECTRIQ- mm. I

Patented Dean, 1912.

To alt whom it may concern: f. it I citizen of the United States, residing .at the borough of; Manhattan, city of New York,

-5 .in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented 'acertain new and useful Improvement. in. Portable Electric Lights, ofwhich the, following 'is' a" specification, reference being had therein to the-accompanying-drawings, forming part thereof. My invention relates to portable electric lights, particularly those of small dimensions and convenient shape for carrying in the pocket or for holding. or carrying about in the hand when in use.

In such port-able lights it has been found advantageous to employ double circuit-clos ing means capable of effecting a double control,-'one for short periods, of illumination and in which the parts, when released, auto,- maticaily return to the open circuit posi- 'tion, and the other for more prolonged periods of illumination and in which the closed circuit position of the parts is mamflashes of light. On the other hand, circuit closing means in which the parts will'indefinitely maintain either. a closed circuit or 5-open circuit position, obviate the tiresome necessity of holdi the circuit closed for long periodsof lig ting and increase the scope of utility by enabling the light to be conveniently laid down in lighted condition, leaving both hands of the user free.

An object of my invention is to provide improved .means for effecting the double control of the light above referred to.

Other more general objects of my invention are inexpensiveness of manufacture, sim licity of construction,- durability, nonliability of derangement, and convenience of operation.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will hereinafter appear.

My invention includes, in combination, a

i 7 contact-member controlled by a spring-returned push button orother automatic circuit-opening device, and a bodily slidable.

- circuit closer or other movably mounted member adapted to actuate the contact mem- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed Jul 15, 1912. 1ser i 1-no."io9,3 a4.

tained until the parts are manually restored to open circuit position. ,Automaticreturn' e circuit-closing parts to open circuit berto maintainthecircuit in either the open Be ,it known that I, CONRAD HUBERT, a 1

or the closed position.

will appear from the following description. I shall now describe the portable "electric light illustrated in the accompanying draw I Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the casing and. circuit-completing means, the circult being in the open condition Fig. .2.is

Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a frontelevation, partly in being maintained in closed condition. Fig.

in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the casing asviewed from the left-in Fig. 3. Referring tothe accompanying drawings, a flattened androunded, outer sheet met-a1 'casing 1 has a miniature incandescent elecin the closed end of the casing-and removablycontains a battery 3,the open end of springs 5 and 6. The spring strip 5 extends across the end of the battery 3 in position to be directly engaged by the center terminal of the lamp 2 (Fig. 1'), and the other contact-strip 6 is exposed within the casing and projects in position to be engaged by a contact member movably mounted on the forming a part of the circuit-completing means from the battery to-the lamp, the casing being electrically connected to the other lamp terminal at the lamp-socket.

'. In the portable electric light illustrated in the drawings, the movable contact mem-- ber is an inwardlyprojecting stud 7, which is provided with a rounded head 8, which through a circular aperture 9, suitably thumb or finger to move the contact stud 7 push button 8 are shown as mounted on a PATENT onnion.

My invention also includes novel featuresof constructlon and comblnations of parts as ings embodying my invention and shall' thereafter point out my invention in claims 4 is an elevation as viewed from the right" tric lamp 2 threaded into a-socket formed.

casing in electrical connection therewith and spaced from the closed endof the casing in the rounded portion thereof. Theprojecting rounded head 8 constitutes a push button, which may be directly engaged by the an elevation as viewed from the right'in section and with parts omitted, the circuit the casing being 'closed by a hinged' door 4. The. battery terminals are usual projecting resilient metallic contact strips or contact normally, or when the circuit is open, pro- 3 jects to the outside of the casing 1 (Fig. .1) 1

into contact with the exposed battery terminal 6. The movable contact stud 7 and leaf spring 10 near one end thereof. The

stud-carrying spring 10 is located within the casing and at its other end is secured to the casingby means .of a rivet 11. The

contact1nak1ng stud 7 passes through the spring 10 and is retained in place by means of a collar 12, which may be either a sepa-- rate ring forced over the stud 7 or may be formed of the material of the stud 7 byupsetting such -m aterial. The spring will automatically return the contact stud 7 and its push button 8 to the normal or opencircuit position shown in Fig. 1.

The circuit-closing means provided for actuating and locking the contact stud 7 in circuit-closing or contact-making position when desired will now be described. A bodily slidable circuit-closing member 13 is mounted on the casing by means of lateral combined guide lugs and attaching lugs which extend to the inside of the casing through parallel guide slots 14. (Figs. 3 and 5) provided in the casing between the push button aperture 9 and the spring securlng. rivet 11, the guide lugs being turned over or clenched at the inside of the casing and being slidable in the parallel guide slots or guideways 14. At the outside of the casing, the circuit-closingmember 13 has at its middle, opposite the attaching and guide lugs, a longitudinally rounded projection engageable by the thumb or finger for manual actuation, and above and below such rounded projecting portion has fiat end portions slidable along the outer surface of the casing 1. The stud-carrying spring 10 is of reduced width in its middle portion, thereby both giving increased flexibility and providing space for the guide lugs of the slidable circuit-closing member 13 (Fig. 5).

Normally, both in the open circuit condition of the light and also during the time that the battery circuit may be in closed condition by reason of continued manual presureon the push button 8, the bodily slidable circuit-closing member 13 will occupy the retracted position shown in Figs.

' open circuit position-shown'in Figs. 1 and 2.

1 and 2. In this position of the slidable circuit-closing member 13, release of manual pressure on the push button 8 will permit.

the spring 10 to automatically return the contact stud 7 and the push button 8 to the If the slidable circuit-closing member 13, when in the retracted position of Figs. 1 and 2, be pushed toward the closed end of the casing, its flat end portion adjacent to the push button 8 will, by reason of the rounded exposed surface of the push button,

. exert'a cam action on the push button and will force the push button inward in a direction ofmovement substantially at right angles to the direction of movement of the slidable circuit-closing member 13, bringing the inner end of the contact stud 7 into contact with the exposed battery spring 6 I closing the circuit. Further'or continued I movement ofthe slidable circuit-closing member 13-Will' cause ,the fiat end portion thereof tooverride the push button 8 and to be brought to a position across the path of the push button so'that the .push button is locked in depressed position, thereby holding tl1e contact stud 7 in inward contact- Inaking position (Figs. 3, 4 and 5). The circuit will now in closed condition without any effort on the 'b6 indefinitely maintainedpart of the operator, the resistance of the leaf spring 10 developing a friction such as will prevent accidental shifting of these parts. The circuit will remain closed until the slidable circuit-closing member 13 is pushed to retracted position.(Figs. 1 and 2)., to release the push button 8 and permit the spring 10 to retract the contact stud 7 and open the circuit.

It is obvious that various .niodifications may be made in the construction shown in the drawings and above articularly de scribed within the principle and scope of my invention.

I claim 1.'A circuit-closer for a portable electric' in combination, c1rc'u1tlight, comprising,

completing means including an automa'tically returning contact member and a push button for' actuating it, and a ,slidably movable non-resilient circuit-closing member engageable with the push button to shift the contact member to contactrma lging position and to hold it there or to permit automatic return of the contact member from contact making position according to the position of the circuit-closing member.

2. A circuit-closer for a portable electric light, comprising, in combination, a casing having guideways for a circuit-closing member, automatically returning circuit completing means adapted to be manually maintained in circuit-closing position, and a bodily slidable circuitclosing member mounted to slide along thelguideways of the casing and arranged to shift the circuit-com pleting means to contact-making position and to hold it there or to permit the autoslidable circuit-closing member, mounted to slide along the guideways of the casing and arranged to engage the push button to shift the contact member to contact-making position and to hold it there or to permitt-he automatic return of the contact me her.

from contact-making position, dependent uponthe position of the circuit-closing member.

4. A circuit-closer for a portable electricl-ight, comprising, in combination, a casing having guicleways for a circuit-closing member, circuit completing means including a spring-actuated contact member carried by the casing and a push button for actuating the contact member, and a bodily slidable circuit-closing member mounted to slide along the guideways of the casing and arranged to engage the push'button to shift the contact member to contact-making position and to hold it there or to permit the spring-actuated return of the contact member from contact-making position, dependentupon the position of the circuit-closing member.

5. circuit-closer for a portable electric light, comprising, in combination, a casing having guideways for a circuit-closing member, circuit-completing means including a spring-actuated contactmember carried by the casing and a push button for actuating the contact member to contact-making position, and a bodily slidable circuit closing member mounted to slide along the guide- Ways of the casing so that the paths of movement of the push button and of the slidable circuit-closing member cross each other, the

push button and the slidable circuit-closing member being shaped for cam action of the slidable circuit-closing member on the push button thereby to shift the contact member to contact-making position, the slidable circuit-closing member having a surface shaped for engagement with the push button to lock the contact member in contact-makingpo sition upon continued sliding movement of the slidable circuit-closing member, a reverse movement of the slidable circuit-closing member unlocking the push button and permitting the spring-actuated return of the contact member from contact-making posi:

tion. a v

In testimony whereof I have afi'ixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

CONRAD HUBERT. Witnesses: I

HARRY C. LEWIS, JOHN W. WALLER. 

